Pages

Friday, August 8, 2014

The Not-So-Great Balancing Act

Good news -- I did not have to wrestle Lilly at all to get her down for her nap! Hurray!

Bad news -- Lilly barely slept for an hour.

Good news -- I talked to a dear friend today.

Bad news -- She had some. It made my heart hurt for her.

Good news -- I vacuumed the entire house and still got got the kids to the pool just after 3:00!!

Bad news -- The pool was closed (inexplicably) till 3:30.

Good news -- Two of my three children happily settled for the playground, while my third (eldest) hung out in the spray park.

Bad news -- The heat index was over 100 today. I felt like I was roasting.

Good news -- We had fun once the pool opened, but had to leave at 4:20. Fine with me, fine with Jayna, fine with Lilly (!!!!)... but Skyler, roll-with-the-punches, Cool Cat Skyler?? It was not fine with her. Major meltdown. Lilly then started to meltdown too, till I reminded her that when she throws a fit at the pool, she does not get to press the buttons (the ones designed for people in wheelchairs that open doors automatically. She lives for this mission, I sometimes think.). More good news: this actually worked, and she quieted down.

Bad news -- Older two decided they want to try out for swim team, which meant we'd be back at six. Mad scramble on my part to throw together dinner while thinking, "Should we really do this?"

Good news -- Matt agreed to watch Lilly while I chauffeured the older two back to the Y.

Bad news -- Guy who was supposed to supervise try-outs was nowhere to be found. I spent twenty minutes roasting again in the sauna-like indoor pool area before someone else decided she could do it instead.

Good news -- Skyler made it all the way across the pool doing a version of the freestyle that made me chest-puffingly proud. (some of you may remember last summer's -- and even earlier this summer -- "OH MY GOSH, is she drowning?!" "free" style).

Bad news -- The try-outs lady came up to me clipboard in hand, shaking her head. "She's just not ready yet, I'm afraid."

Good news -- Jayna did three strokes very well, and Try-outs Lady announced she could see no problem with her being on the swim team.

Bad news -- Swim team meets four nights a week, 6:30-7:30. I'm just not one of those people who schedules things four nights a week. I actually (dare I say this?) think it's inherently wrong, or rather detrimental, to do something four nights a week. I tell my kids they can do things twice a week. I think things like family dinners are more crucial to their development than anything they might do with that time. I'd probably have less of a problem doing something four times a week if it were, say, right after school. But at dinner time??? Anyway, I'll save that diatribe for another posting.

Good news -- Jayna would have to give up dance, at least some of it, if she were to practice swim four nights a week, and she really doesn't want to do that.

Bad news -- She still wanted to talk about how exciting it was for her. Skyler, though -- always exuberant, beautifully grinning Skyler -- walked silently in the front door and up the stairs and wouldn't come down at all. Until I told her for the fifth time I'd scooped some of her favorite ice-cream and started singing her a goofy song. Meanwhile, I told Jayna she could talk about her feelings when Skyler's disappointment had eased a little (as I'm sure it will) with time.

More bad new -- this hurt Jayna's feelings.

Good news -- Somehow or other, everyone was more or less on the road to recovery by the time I got them all tucked in, read to, prayed with, kissed, and asleep. And as I read this, I realize that by some miracle I've managed to end with "good news". That makes it a good day... right?